The final game of the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend schedule is an NFC contest between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
There has been a late change of venue for the game, which was due to be played at SoFi Stadium in California but has had to be moved due to the wildfires affecting the area.
The game will now be played at State Farm Stadium in Arizona, reducing some of the home advantage the Rams might have enjoyed. However, they performed strongly on the road in this round of the playoffs last season, losing 24-23 in Detroit as the sixth seeds, to suggest a neutral venue should not be too damaging to their prospects.
The Rams came out on top of a competitive NFC West division with a 10-7 record, although they are facing the team with the best ever record for a team in the Wild Card round.
The Vikings went 14-3 this season, but were unfortunate to be playing in the same division as the 15-2 Lions and lost last week’s decisive battle for the NFC top seed 31-9 at Ford Field.
Kevin O’Connell’s Minnesota team had won their previous nine games, but the Rams also ended the year in decent shape, winning five in a row before resting their starters in last week’s defeat by the Seahawks.
We’ve prepared a four-leg bet builder suggestion for the match that would pay out at 6/1 if successful.
LA Rams vs Minnesota Vikings tips
- Over 47.5 points
- Over 44.5 Cooper Kupp receiving yards
- Over 0.5 Justin Jefferson receiving touchdowns
- Over 2.5 Tyler Higbee receptions
Bet Builder odds: 6/1
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Elite wide receivers can keep score rising
The Rams and Vikings have two of the most dangerous offences in the league, spearheaded by their dynamic wide receiver pairings, with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua powering the Rams offence and Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison forming a deadly duo for the Vikings.
This matchup has a high-scoring history with the last three encounters between the teams generating 69, 53 and 50 points, and taking at least 48 points to be scored in Arizona looks a solid way to kick off our bet builder.
The Vikings’ defence has been much better this year than in seasons past but they have still allowed 24 or more points to each of their last three opponents.
Both teams also have dangerous running backs with Kyren Williams posting 1,299 rushing yards for the Rams this season while Aaron Jones has 1,138 for the Vikings and Cam Akers has also been a threat on the ground in recent games.
Kupp the man for a big occasion
Rams veteran Cooper Kupp had a quiet end to the regular season but it would be no surprise to see LA head coach Sean McVay turning to his most reliable pair of hands in such a key game.
Kupp was back in the lineup for the first time following a month out with an injury in the teams’ 30-20 home win over the Vikings in Week 8, but had five receptions for 51 yards and he has recorded 710 receiving yards in his 12 appearances this season.
He stepped up in the 44-42 shootout win against the Bills with 92 receiving yards and a touchdown and could prove the man for the big occasion again.
Jefferson a good bet to reach end zone
Vikings star Justin Jefferson had a frustrating time in last week’s NFC North showdown against the Lions but still topped the team’s receiving list despite catching just three passes for 54 yards.
The elite performer was close to achieving substantially better stats in that game but he had scored five touchdowns in four outings before that and will be desperate to do more for his team now the playoffs have arrived.
Jefferson caught eight passes for 115 yards in the first clash between the teams this season and should prove tough for the Rams to defend against once more.
Higbee back in business for Rams
Tight end Tyler Higbee was another of the Rams’ stars to be sidelined early in the season, which was a factor in their 1-4 start, but he looks back in the groove after his belated return to the team last month.
Higbee has been building up, with one, two and five receptions in his three games back (including two touchdowns) and can be fancied to have at least three catches against the Vikings.
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All odds correct at time of writing
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